Improvement in steam-engine governors



UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

E. C. EDMONDS, OF BUFFALO, NEYV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT iN STEAM-ENGINE GOVERNORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,996, dated October 2li, lsll.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. O. lnMoNDs, of 'the city of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in thc Mode of Operating Steam-Valves; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view in elevation of my improvement. Fig.2is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the sliding shaft and appurtenances detached.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all the ig'ures.

My invention consists in the combination of parts hereinafter speci tical] y claimed, by which the throttle-valve of a steam-pipe is operated, so as not only to regulate the supply of steam to correspond with the resistance to be overcome, but also to adjust the size of the valveport to the amount of pressure within the boiler. This is accomplished by connecting the arms of the ordinary centrifugal balls with the upper end of a slip shaft or sleeve, to which it is secured, so as to adjust thereon two clutches of any ordinary construction, that alternately engage with the hubs of two bevel-pinions loosely mounted on said sliding shaft and within suitable bearings, which bevel-pinious are in gear with a third bevel-pinion between them, on the horizontal shaft of which is a pulley, connecting by a band with a similar one on a screwshaft that operates thevalve, to open or close the port, according as the upper or lower clutch is engaged.

In the drawings, A A represent the frame, of anyT suitable construction, secured to the base of Hoor B, by which thc parts are snpported. O is a vertical main shaft, rotating in suitable bearin gs in thc frame A, to the upper end ot' which, in any proper manner, are jointed the divergent arms d d of the centrifugal balls E E. ff are two links or bars, jointed to the arms d d at a suitable position, which connect with and are jointed to the upper end of a sliding shaft or sleeve, G, on the main shaft (l. h hare two bevel-pinions, with hubs i i', loosely mounted on shaft G and within suitable journais in the horizontal portions j j of theframe, which gear with a similar pinion, 7i', on a horizontal shaft, I. m is a pulley on the latter shaft, connecting by band a with a similar pulley, o, mounted on a screw-shaft, p. that operates the valve r, Fig. 2, to which it is secured in any desired manner. This screw p may be supported by traversing through a l'rame, s, secured to the steam pipe or cylinder N, as shown in the drawings, or in any other suitable way. The clutches t t may be of any desired and suitable construction, so as to engage with the hubs and 1', and be capable of adj ust ment on the shaft Gr by means ot.' set-screws u n, oreqnivalent, forapurpose hereinafter to be explained. There is a longitudinal slot, r, in the shaft (l, with aI pin, ai, projecting from the main spindle O in the same, for the purpose ol allowing the shaft or sleeve Gr to freely slide up and down shaft C, and to relieve the arms d and j' ot' the strain which would otherwise come upon them in imparting motion to the sliding shaft.

Connection and motion are had with the working parts of the engine by means of a pinion, r, on the lower portion ot' shal't O gearing with a pinion, y, on a horizontal shat't, l, which is provided with pulley Q, that connects by a hand with said parts; or any other suitable mechanism for the purpose may he employed.

My improvement operates in the following manner: Motion heilig communicated to the governor by the gearing .n y, the arms lil begin to diverge and raise the sleeve G by sliding it upon the main one O and within the hubs i i. After the engine has attained the required maximum velocity, the lower clutch, t', (which should be adjusted by set-screw a so as to he immediately below the hub `i at thisl position ofthe sliding sl1at`t,) will engage with said hub, which, through the medium ot' the pinions hf and lr, pulleys m and o, and belt n, screws in the spindle j), to which the valve r is attached, gradually closing the port and partially shutting oli' the steam till the motion of the engine is retarded, causing the balls to collapse, and, by depressing the shaft Gr, disengage the clutch t'. Should the resistance to be overcome increase or other cause continue to ret ard the velocity, the upper clutch, t, (which is adjusted to allow a greater or less range ot' motion, as desirerh) will, on its reaching the minimum point, engage with the hub i ot' tl'ienpperpinion, as shown in Fig. 1, which, being also geared with causes it to revolve in a direction opposite to that which it did when the clutch i was engaged, as above described, which unserews p and opens the valve till the greater supply ot' steam again causes the acceleration of speed, whereby the clutch is uncoupled and the valve lett stationary.

One of the chief advantages of my improvement is the intermittent action of the mechanism in operating the valve, which is eii'eeted by the use of the adjustable clutches on the slip-shaft.

In the various methods usually employed in operating the throttle-valve, the action ot' the valve is continued with every change in the position o f the balls, whether divergingorcollapsino'. For instance, when there is an increase in the resistance required to be overcome or areduction of the pressure ot' steam within the boiler, or when both occur at the same time, the velocityot' the machinery' is retarded to a degree proportionate to the amount of such inerased resistance or diminution ot' pressure before the valve can be opened far enough to admit sutiicicnt steam to stop this retardation. New, according to the ordinary methods, as soon as the motion begins to accelerate, the valve likewise begins to close, which prevents the machinery attaining its former speed, especially it' there is much increase of resistance, and still more so when there is a considerable dii'ninution of pressure in the boiler, as is the case toward the close ot' the days work, when, in order to utilize the steam on hand, some other means have to be made use of to operate the valve.

By the use ot' my improvement the decrease in the motion of the machinery from the above causes is only temporary; for after the valve, under such circumstances, has once become Suticiently opened to cause an acceleration ot' the velocity, the valve-operating mechanism uncouples by the disengagement ofthe clutch t, and thus leaves the valve open, while the motion continues to increase until it reaches the maximum velocity, which may be greater or less as the lower clutch, t', is adjusted higher or lower on the slip-shaft, as the mean range of motion is fixed by adjusting these clutches farther apart or nearer together. In like manner, with the common devices, when there is an increased pressure or a decrease in the resistance the reverse takes place 5 for as soon as the accelerated speed begins to slackeu from the partial closing ot the valve, then this retardation begins ilnmediatcly to open the valve again, thereby preventing the proper reduction of the speed so long as either of the said causes continue to operate. W ith my device the acceleration is only temporary; for when the reduction of the speed begins, from the closing of the valve, the latter remains at rest, instead of opening, until the minimum ot' motion and required limit isreached, which is regulated by the adjustment ot' the upper clutch, t.

Thus, not only is a more uniform velocity ot' the machinery attained by the use of my improvement, which for many purposes is of the greatest importance, but the machine can be run at a low pressure of steam without the inconvenience usually attending the same, and thereby utilizing a considerable amount ot' steam that would otherwise be wasted.

The use ot' thc screw-shaft for opening or closing the valve enables the latter to be moved gradually and uniformly, and a very slight change in its position effected, which cannot be attained by the ordinary methods.

The adj ustability of the clutches enables the en gine to be adapted to overcome a greater rcsistanee, or to operate with aless pressure ot' steam, with a diminution in the speed, by so arranging them on the slip-shaft that any specitied velocity will cause a greater opening of the valve. It also renders the machine capable of being adj usted to run at any specified higher or lower velocity, which is frequently of much importance where various kinds of work are required to be performed by the same machine.

YVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Thecombinationoftheadjustableelutches t t with the slip-shaft G, loose pinions h h', bevel-wheel k, and spindle U, for producing` an intermittent motion to the val ve-operating mechanism, substantially' in the manner set forth.

2. In combination with the above, the screw valve shattp, pulley o, band An, and pulley m, for operating the valve r, arranged and operating substantially in the manner specified.

E. C. EDMONDS. Wi tncsses JAY HYATT, J Aims C. BROWN. 

